A Father's Day Tribute to Alf Engen—Father of Jon, Alan, the Powder Skiing Technique and Alta Ski Area.
Here’s to all of the rad dads that have called Alta home and used our slopes and lifts to pass on the love of skiing to the next generation of Alta skiers. Cheers to the rad dads that use Alta as an occasional escape from the day-to-day of fatherhood. And cheers to the rad dads that helped create this Alta community we call home.
While it would be nice to wish a happy Father’s Day to every dad that has ever strapped on a pair of skis and slid down the slopes of Alta, we’d like to take a minute and say “thank you” to Alta’s founding father, Alf Engen.
Maybe you know the story or maybe you just recognize Alf’s name from various institutions of Alta—the Alf Engen Ski School. Alf’s Restaurant and, of course, Alfs’ High Rustler. It’s impossible to tell the history of Alta Ski Area without telling the story of the man, Alf Engen.
Alf Engen was born outside of Oslo, Norway on May 15, 1909. At just nine years old, his father died of the Spanish Flu. Alf helped raise his younger brothers—Sverre and Corey—teaching themselves to ski jump throughout their teenage years.
As a youth in Norway, he excelled in skiing, soccer, hockey and speed skating. His first skis were homemade, and his first ski wax came from melted phonograph records.
- New York Times
At 20 years old, Alf and his younger brother Sverre emigrated to the United States, first settling in Chicago where he lived in poverty working as a drill press operator. On the weekends, Engen and a team of professional ski jumpers would travel the midwest performing exhibitions and low-level competitions. This professional status, along with a bizarre Wheaties box saga, disqualified Alf from ever competing in the Olympics.
After a few years of ski jumping around the country, Alf made his way out west. He married Evelyn Pack of Centerville, Utah, and began working as a foreman for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) across the West, including Utah's Little Cottonwood Canyon.
In 1935, Alf was hired by the US Forest Service to determine the area's potential as a winter ski area. Alf skied from Big Cottonwood into Alta via Catherine's Pass that winter, returning to Alta in the summer and deeming the area an ideal location for a ski area. With Engen's recommendation, the CCC began planting hundreds of trees on Alta's slopes left barren after decades of mining and deforestation.
Alf went on to found Sun Valley, Jackson Hole and 25 other ski areas throughout the West before retiring from professional skiing and ski area development.
In 1949, Alf Engen returned to Alta and took over as Director of the Alta Ski School, a position previously held by his younger brother, Sverre. Alf would spend the next 40 years in this role before passing it on to his son, Alan.
During his tenure, he taught thousands the enjoyment of skiing. Because of his skiing prowess in Utah's acclaimed powder snow, he became known as "The Father of the Powder Skiing Technique."
Another of his major teaching contributions was serving as director of the popular Deseret News Ski School, which was founded by the newspaper in 1948 and has introduced thousands to the sport.
- Engen Ski Museum
Alf, alongside his brothers Corey and Sverre, is credited with the popularization of skiing in the West. Their mastery of the Powder Skiing Technique and exploits around Alta were documented on film and in print.
Alf was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame in 1959 and was named "Utah's Athlete of the 20th Century" by The Salt Lake Tribune in 2000.
Alf Engen passed away on July 20, 1997, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He accomplished some amazing feats in his 88 years. He was also an incredible father figure to his sons Jon and Alan, but also the Powder Skiing Technique, Alf Engen Ski School, Alf Engen Museum, Alf's High Rustler and the Alta Ski Area we all know and love.
Happy Father's Day, Alf.
A few of Alf’s notable accomplishments
- U.S. National Ski Jumping Champion 16 times
- The only person to win the National 4-Way Skiing Championship (downhill, slalom, jumping and cross-country competition in 1940)
- National Professional ski jumping champion from 1931–1935
- Canadian and North American ski jumping champion in 1937
- U.S. Open Slalom and Downhill champion in 1942
- Member of the U.S. Olympic Ski Team in 1940
- Coach of the U.S. Olympic Ski Team in 1948
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